THE PRISONS
The prisons of Venice are housed in the Palazzo Ducale. The most hostile were placed on the ground floor, in what were called the wells, and cells were eighteen paneled, dark and communicating only with dark corridors. Here the living conditions were really terrible: under the boards lurking insects of all kinds, food was scarce and inedible, the air stifling, overcrowded environments.
Were housed in rooms of the attic, however, the famous Leads. They owe their name to the lead plates that covered the roof, making these rooms very hot summer and cold in winter. Were generally intended for more high-ranking prisoners or detainees awaiting trial.
The most illustrious guest of lead was Giacomo Casanova, ended up in jail for a long string of crimes and leader of the most daring escapes: climbed on the roofs, Casanova managed to slide down a gutter, slip inside the palace and be open , then peacefully to escape on board a gondola. Not before, according to legend, enjoy a coffee in Piazza San Marco.
New prisons, however, lie beyond the Rio di Palazzo, and they were accessed via the famous Bridge of Sighs.
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